Solid Source ('radiogenic Isotope') Mass Spectrometry
Several of the isotope systems involved in radiometric dating depend on IRMS using thermal ionization of a solid sample loaded into the source of the mass spectrometer (hence thermal ionization mass spectrometry, TIMS). These methods include rubidium-strontium dating, uranium-lead dating, lead-lead dating and samarium-neodymium dating.
When these isotope ratios are measured by TIMS, mass-dependent fractionation occurs as species are emitted by the hot filament. Fractionation occurs due to the excitation of the sample and therefore must be corrected for accurate measurement of the isotope ratio.
There are several advantages of the TIMS method. It has a simple design, is less expensive than other mass spectrometers, and produces stable ion emissions. It requires a stable power supply, and is suitable for species with a low ionization potential, such as Strontium (Sr), and Lead (Pb).
The disadvantages of this method stem from the maximum temperature achieved in thermal ionization. The hot filament reaches a temperature of less than 2500 degrees Celsius, leading to the inability to create atomic ions of species with a high ionization potential, such as Osmium (Os), and Tungsten (Hf-W). Although the TIMS method can create molecular ions instead in this case, species with high ionization potential can be analyzed more effectively with MC-ICP-MS.
Read more about this topic: Isotope-ratio Mass Spectrometry
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